Isotopic composition of hydration water in gypsum

The isotopic composition of the hydration water of gypsum is a sensitive diagnostic tool for specifying the mechanisms of its formation, either from an evaporating brine, by hydration of anhydriate or in situ formation in surface or groundwaters through oxidation of sulfides. Primarily, gypsum is formed in isotopic equilibrium with the mother brine; later, exchange of water occurs rapidly under humid conditions by means of a mechanism of recrystallization of gypsum or through diffusion of water into the intact crystal. Under arid conditions, however, the primary isotopic record has been preserved, in some instances, since the Pleistocene.